Process of concentration.



No. 670,44l. Patented Mar. 26,!90L.

H. N. SUTTON &. W. L. STEELE.

PRUGESS OF CONCENTRATION.

(Application filed Aug. 23. 1900.)

(No Model.):

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' NrrEn 'STATEsr T NT OFFIGE.

HENRY M. SUTTONAND WALTERL. STEELE, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

PROCESS OF CONCENTRAT i ON. I

srEcIFmA'rIoN forming-part of Letters Patent No. 676,441, dated Mar-0112c, 1901.

Original application filed July 18, l900 Serial No. 24,063; Divided and this application filed August 23, i900. Serial v No- 27,850. (No specimens) MU whom; it may concern;

Beit k nown that We, HENRY M. SUTTON and WALTER L. STEELE, citizens of the United States, residing" at Dallas, in the couii'ty of Dallas, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Concentration, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

arating a conductive substance from a nonconductive substance, and more particularly to the separation by means of electrifying the conducting particles and repellingsaid particles,while the non-cond active substances are not so repelled.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved method or process for electrically concentrating and separating various conconductive substances with which they may be associated or mixed, and comprises the use of a screening member capable of electrical repulsive action. upon the conductive sub- I 1 repelled from any solid substance used to.

efi'ect the separation of the conducting from the non-conducting particles, and the result isa eneral scattering of the metallic or other con uctive particles without an effective separation. It has also been common to use air orother extraneous forces to effect a mechanical agitation of the ore; -but in this method or process the smaller particles of the valu-- able conducting substances are either blown away with the non-metallic or non-conductive particles or mixed therewith, so that a thorough concentrationcannot be effected. The difiiculties thus found to exist in the proper operation of devices in the prior art are overcome by means of the process in which an electrically-repulsive screening member is supported adjacent to an electrified "surface This invention relates to a processof, sep-fl ductive or metallic substances feom the nonstancesand permitting the passage there-' u pon which the ore or conducting substances lie in a pulverulent condition, whereby the screen repels the'con'ductingsubstauce'and' permits the passage therethroug-h of the nonconducting substances.

In the process presented herewith the ore trical repulsive action upon the conducting particles, while the non-conducting particles .which pass through the screen may be removed by-any extraneous force which does not afiect the repulsive action of the screening member.

In our application for patent for an electricalore-concentrator filed July 18,l900,serially numbered 24,063, of which this case'is a division, several difierent formsof apparatus .is supported upon or travels over an electrically-charged surface, above which a screenhave been disclosed which accomplish'the ob-' jects and functions of the processhereinbe V fore'described. ratus for accomplishing the process is not confined to any particular form of device dis-.

the forms of apparatus just referred tofwe have shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings a longitudinal section through one form of concentrator; .in Fig. 2, a similar It is obvious that the appaview of another form of apparatus employiug a rotating surface; in Fig. 3, a vertical .section of a modified apparatus employinga conical electrically-charged surface, and in Fig$4 a similar view of fla modified, form in which an inclined surface is used. Referring toFig. 1', the letter A designates anexhaust or suction pipe of any desired construction provided at points with hoods "a' and connected at its discharge end with asuitabledevicefor creating a suction or exhaust therein.

upon pulleys or rollers D and is electrically charged, preferably by a static. cirrrent, by

Beneath the hoods aof this n suction device a belt E is suitably mounted means of a ponductor B, from a generator and I any suitable connections-such, for instance,

as a brush b. Interposed between this belt and the suction device'is a metallic screen H,

constituting an electric conductor and connected with, the earth by means of a'gro'und- IOO properly-polverized condition and from which it is fed by a shaker G, pivoted atone end and provided with a pan g fordischarging the-ore in a thin layer upon the belt E. This IOClilug shaker is suitably operated. by means of an eccentric bar .21, carried by any suitablev driving-shaft and counected tc the shaker. I It will be seen that the movement of tfhef shaker G and the pan 1 will discharge upon the moving beltai'hin layerof ore, from which the non metallic particles will be removed through the hoods a, While l-liemetall icparticles will be retained upon the belt and discharged therefrom into any suitable recepta- A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the electrically charged surface consists of a revolving plate E, suitably mounted in a standard N, having anapertured base it, within which-a drivingpulley 0 may be located and connectedto the shaft 'n', extending downward from the-plate E. Surroundingthe'plate and extending'beneath the sameis a suitable hopper-orrecepcle L, provided with a discharge-spout S, which may be emptied by means of the re movable cap or closure M. Above this re vo'lviug plate an annular-hood a is connected to a suitable suction or exhaust pipe Afiwhile the plate E-i-s similarly connected with an electric generator through the line B. Centrally above the plate E a hopper I is provided, from which the ore may be fed. It will be seen that the ore falling" upon the con tor of the plate E is carried by the centrifugal force exerted in the rotary motion of the plate towardthe edge thereof, where the nonmetallic particles are drawn through the screen and suction-pipe to a suitable point'oi discharge, while the metallic particles are repelled from the screen and discharged. at the edge of the plate E into the receptacle L.

Afurther modified application of the in-t vention is shown in Fi 4, where the ore passes from the hopper I over an inclined plate E electrically charged from any suitable generator, while the non-metallic particles are removed from said ore by means of suction-pipe A, provided with a hood a and H", suitably connected with the earth by means of a ground-line C. The ore in its passage between the sereeuand plati. i reed from the nonmetallic particles, Wnich pass through the exhaustpipe to a suitable point of discharge, While the metallic particles drop from the lower edge of said plate, as shown at S.

Another modified application of the same principle is illustrated in Fig. 3, where the ore is discharged from a hopper l upou acouical plate or surface E which issuitably I the electrified plate or s the repulsive screen.

charged by electricity from .a generator-line I}, while concentric with the lower portion of the cone a screen H", suitably connected with a grounddine U, is disposed. If the surface of the conical plate be suiliciently charged ore when simiwill he repelled with electricity, particles iarly charged with elect ri therefrom to such a n.

H falling upon the outside of the partition W, while the metallic particles by their contact with the grounded screen are repelled therefrom and fall ppon theinncr surface of the partition, aS-shoWn at S. ltwiil be seen that in this form of the invention the use at a suction or exhaust device is not necessary, nor would itbein wiry i i 1 m structure where iii-face can repel the non-metallic particles for a sufficient distance therefrom that thcy may be deposited in a separate receptacle from the metallic pal-ti cles, which are rcte'tined'near the piwie'or surface by means of the grc'n-nded screen, which removes the electric charge from the metal.

From the foregoing statements the steps of the process will be clearly seen, particularly the-essential feature 01": the eleetrically-repul' sive screen located above or adjacent to an electrified sn rface, by means of which the nonthe noninstall-re particles will passthrotigh the screen cenductingpartieles arc-elect ri lied and passed through the screen, while the conducting particles or si'ibstancee are repelled from the screen and retained betwee'n the same and the electrified surface until they are discharged into a suitable receptacle. As previously stated, an extraneous force maybe used, if desired, to remove and convey the non-conducting particles which have passed through The s ziecessliiil operation of the process is due to the fact that-the conductive substances, such as the mile ores, change their polarity when brot tin-to contact with other condin lug substances or with an electrically-repulstve substance more readily than do the noinccnducting or noninetallic substance. -suclni'or instance,as the waste or refuse portion of the ore--by reason of their inferior conductivity as compared to that of the metallic portion, which it is de sired to retain as the valuable element of the concentration process.

The term electrically -repulsive screen herein used is designed to embrace any form of surface by which the charge of electricity maybe removed from the conducting substance or particles or so-chang d in character, polarity, or potential as to re l the particles from said surface or screen, while the non conductive particles which have not been so quickly aii' ected, will continue their move ment through the screen and there be acted upon by the extraneous force unto a complete separation from conductive particles.

All substances are, in fact, conductors of electricity, some being so poor, however, as to be classed as insulators, non-conducting, or non-conductive, while others-notably the metals, some oxide of metals, and metalloids conduct electricity with so much freedoln th at they are classed as conductors or conductive. Now, bearing in mind that substances of superior conductivity lose their charge of electricity much more rapidly than substances that conduct with less freedom when they are lu-ougrht in contact with any substance that will change their polarity, it will be seen that the repulsive action of the screen will be excrtcd first on those substances which will change their polarity the quickest, and conseu u cntly all that is necessary to separate substances of varying conductivity is simply a uestion of the adjustment of the repulsive screen to the elect rically-charged surface and the strength of the electrification employed.

l-lavingdescribed our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. The process of separating a conductive substance from a non-conductive substance,

cr'one oi;-rei'ativelyinferior conductiyity, which-consists in'electrically charging the mass and-exposing the same to a;screen ing member which is capable ofelectrical repulsive action; siibstantially as specified.

2. The process of separating a conductive substance from a non-conductive substance," or one vof: relatively inferior conductivity, which consists in electrically charging the mass and exposing the same to a screening Witnesses: HARRY L. SEAY,

\VALTER F. SEAY. 

